POLYNERVOUSTICKS - Around The Mountain State

(01/29/2001)

By Bob Weaver

FANNY THE SEILER WRITES ABOUT MC CARTY - The Gazette's political
columnist has
written about Judge Charles McCarty and his efforts toward retirement.
She has
reported that Gov. Underwood "granted" McCarty's retirement at the
last minute, but
the 65-year-old judge has been declared ineligible, since he does not
have enough
time.

CALHOUN AND ROANE TOP THE LIST - Roane and Calhoun County reached
about 17%
unemployment, topping the list for the "worst" in West Virginia.

ODE TO THE GAZETTE AND THE KANAWHA VALLEY - Where crime, shootings and
murder lurk close to our beautiful Capitol, blighted squalor prevails
in much of the
town and people are leaving by the droves. It must be refreshing to
send reporter
Tara Tuckwiller to Sunny Cal to take pictures of divorced people,
tobacco products,
and diamond rings, as if each had something to do with the other. We
Calhouner's
don't much "cotton" to the portrayal.

BOARDS OF EDUCATION HOLD POLITICAL POWER? - It is sadly reported
school
systems in 38 West Virginia counties are the biggest employers, 11
others the second
biggest. Can it be assumed when school systems (their employees) mess
up, fail and
perform very badly - the local folks barely whimper under their
breath?

BENEDUM FOUNDATION GIVES WEST VIRGINIA $14.5 MILLION - Some area
groups get
some help: Central Appalachian Arts and Crafts Coop of Sutton,
$72,795; Community
Resources, Inc. of Gilmer County, $5000; Community Resources of Wirt
County, $5000;
Mountaincap of West Virginia, low income housing of Sutton, $25,000;
Mountaineer
Food Bank of Gassaway, $233,000.

The Mountaineer Food Bank is a jewel of a program, redistributing food
throughout
West Virginia through hundreds of programs and agencies to feed those
who need
some help. It is a grassroots effort that has grown into a model of
efficiency, but more
importantly getting food to where it is needed.

CLINTON NOTCHED DOWN, ONE MORE TIME - Sitting at the dinner table at
LK Soil
Conservation meeting last week, some of my Republican friends like
Sen. Donna Boley
and Delegate Bob Ashley, rebounded above my disgust over Uncle Cecil's
shoddy
actions in Brotherly Charleston. President Clinton's last minute
pardon of well-known
thug and criminal Marc Rich, who contributed well to the Clinton
coffers.

Rich (who purchased the former Kaiser Aluminum plant at Ravenswood)
made oil
deals with Iran while American's were held hostage, has been on the
"wanted" list
with 51 counts against him for trading with the enemy. He has been
trying to come
back to America for years from Switzerland, so now, thanks to
President Clinton, let
us hang the flags and say welcome home Mr. Rich. Hang your head low,
Bill Clinton,
hang your head low...